CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Democrats are enthused for the opportunity to hear form one of the nation’s most popular Democrats Friday night. Former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker Friday for the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner at the Charleston Civic Center.
“When we first announced the date before we announced the speaker of course we had our loyal Democrats who come no matter who the speaker is,” said State Democrat Party Chairperson Belinda Biafore. “But once his name was announced they came crawling out of the woodwork and we were out of tickets within days.”
Clinton carried West Virginia during both of his presidential elections and has always been popular in the state. There are several factors Biafore credits with the affection he finds in the Mountain State.
“He was a small state governor, just like we have in West Virginia. I think he relates to the people in West Virginia and he turned out to be a great president,” she said. “Times were good under Bill Clinton. We had a balanced budget under Bill Clinton and he just had a great way of governing.”
The dinner serves as one of the party’s biggest fundraiser of the year. The sellout crowd is expected to top 2,000 on Friday night.